I'm on the fence about Disney creating live-action versions of their classic fairy tale films. Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, & Cinderella were the first, but there are a whole bunch more coming. The Jungle Book, Pete's Dragon, & Beauty and the Beast are all lined up to be redone within the next few years, making a whole new genre of film; Disney Doing Disney. I, along with the majority who saw them, thought that both Alice in Wonderland & Maleficent were alright; nothing special but bravo for an offbeat attempt at the original story. But that was the problem; audiences who love Disney mov...Read the entire review

Having been in Sondheim shows and having seen many more, I know firsthand how difficult it is to perform his music. Stephen Sondheim is a genius of the theatre, creating the music and/or lyrics for some of the greatest shows you'll ever see on stage: West Side Story, Gypsy, Forum, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, and, of course, Into the Woods. His musicals are challenging to actors and audiences alike, forcing hard work to both perform and comprehend, created a world in each production that is much more than meets the eye. Into the Woods is a perfect represen...Read the entire review

Every good fairy tale has some type of message that it's audiences can learn from. It can be one aimed at our moral compasses, or it can ask for us to look at something with a different perspective. The one for Rob Marshall's Into the Woods screen adaptation of the popular musical tells us what message it's trying to convey before we even walk into the cinema. The tagline states "Be Careful What You Wish For," which also happens to be the driving force behind the entire production. Humans naturally want more than they have, so they continue to wish for something more. James Lapine's musical asks viewers to reflect upon themselves, and determine that they're grateful for what they already have in life.

As someone who doesn't read comic books, Big Hero 6 is a Marvel team that I wasn't familiar with at all until the production of this film. The X-Men, sure, I watched the TV show when I was kid. The Avengers, a little bit, everyone knows a few of those guys. The Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man; these heroes have been around forever and appear in dozens of video games, movies, and lunchboxes. But Big Hero 6 was an unknown to me. It's a superhero team from Japan that first appeared in Marvel comics in 1998. They work for the government to keep the populace safe, and are made up of some members that you might have heard of through the X-Men st...Read the entire review

Mulan was one of the most ambitiousprojects evertaken on by Disney. The studio transformed the Chinese legend ofMulan into a full-fledged Disney production for release across theentire world. Thefilm is one of the most visually striking, entertaining, and memorableof allDisney classics. Mulan also happens to be the36th Disneyanimated feature and in my estimation it is one of the best animatedfilms around.

The story centers upon Mulan (voiced to perfectionbyMing-Na Wen) as she decides to enter the Imperial Army in China inorder tohelp save her elderly and ill father from going to war to die. YetMulan wasnot able to join the army by her own choice of volunteering herselfbeca...Read the entire review

One of the most timeless and beloved Disneyanimationclassics is the 1940 Pinocchio. Produced as the second animatedfeaturefilm under the supervision and production of Walt Disney, this is oneof thebest films ever made regardless of the medium of art. The story is onethat isquite an interesting and fascinating morale play that is one of themostinventive and memorable in film. Pinocchio is also surprisinglydark,intense, and well-crafted when one compares it to the more modernoutput seenfrom all animation studios.

The story begins with the beautiful "When You WishUpona Star" song, which is easily one of the greatest achievements of thefilmand of film music in general. It's an incredible a...Read the entire review

Hercules may not be true to Greek mythology(and itmay have received more than its fair share of criticism for that) butit sureis a blast of entertainment with a fun premise, great characters, andsome ofDisney's iconic animation from the 90's. The story focuses upon theyoung andincredibly strong Hercules as he learns from his adoptive parents ofhis placein the sky as someone who was a God, fallen, and unable to return toZeus, hisbirth father, unless he can somehow be capable of proving himself as a"real hero" (and that the key to that is much more than his alreadygreat physical strength).

I never get tired of being wrong. Sometimes it's more fun than being right, being completely surprised or impressed by a film when you thought there was literally no chance that it would succeed. When I first saw the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy I thought it would suck. Not just that I wouldn't love it, but that it would suck. And, in my defense, I had reason. Chris Pratt has never made me laugh, I still hold Avatar against Zoe Saldana, and James Gunn has only been a part of very bad movies. Then there's the comic book element. I don't like comics. I'm sorry, you probably love them, but I d...Read the entire review

The Marvel universe may be massive, but many of the more popular heroes have now been brought to the big screen. With the huge success found in Joss Whedon's The Avengers back in 2012, Disney has no plans of stopping superhero productions any time soon. In fact, they're green lighting even more of them. They have taken what some may call a "risk" (but not really) by delving into hero stories that may not be known to general moviegoers. James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy is an example of this. With Disney's massive marketing campaign and the picture's high praise, it will most likely do very well at the box office. Some audiences might be attracted by the fact that the science fiction is met with a certain amount of humanity. The question is, does the film truly...Read the entire review
]]> Planes: Fire & RescueTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=65090
Sat, 19 Jul 2014 05:52:03 PDTRecommended

If you read my review of Planes you'll know I wasn't a big fan. I ended up giving it a 3-star rating, barely enjoying the visuals & the animation enough to forgive the recycled story and bad voice-overs. It was basically just Cars in the air, and while I liked Cars I wasn't really wanting to watch the exact same thing again. And this time the heart and the music were both missing, leaving audiences with something that was cool to look at but not that great to watch. Well, thankfully I gave Planes 2 a chance to redeem the franchise. I took my daughter to see her first night-time movie, and also her first advanced...Read the entire review

By making the title of the film Maleficent, Disney let audiences know from the start that the movie would be about the villain, not the princess. They were basically telling us that it would be a Wicked ripoff without the music, a "true story" version of a classic. But what they should have called it was Jolie, as Angelina was the star, the vehicle, and probably the power behind the throne, so to speak. So coming in, you had better solidify your opinion of this unique actress; you'll be seeing her face and her influence from start to finish. Unfortunately, I can't stand her. Her earlier roles were powerful because s...Read the entire review

The fantasy classic tales have been receiving a lot of attention on the big screen lately. With motion pictures such as Oz The Great and Powerful, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White and the Huntsman, the Hollywood studios are trying to cash in on their consistently high popularity. However, they don't all manage to succeed when it comes to the quality of the filmmaking. Dedicated fans are expecting a lot of these features, and it can be very difficult for filmmakers to meet these expectations. In 2014, Disney is bringing their most iconic villain to the silver screen in order to provide a different perspective on a story that we all know quite well. Maleficent has been building upon its own hype for quite some time, but will it ultimately please th...Read the entire review
]]> Million Dollar ArmTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=64755
Fri, 16 May 2014 09:07:00 PDTRecommended

I've got to say, I was skeptical coming into this one. And 'skeptical' might not even be a strong enough word; I assumed it would be bad. After all, it's a heartwarming Disney movie, the culture clash was bound to be stereotypical, and I already know how the true story ends. But two things got me into the theatre to see Million Dollar Arm. One is the fact that I'm a film critic and I wanted to join the conversation. The other is that I love baseball. Any movie about baseball stands a good chance of sucking me in, excellent or awful. So in I went and out I came with a smile on...Read the entire review

Even though The Avengers came out back in 2012, it's still fresh in many of our minds. It stands as one of the very best superhero films to date. However, that makes it more difficult for each hero to impress us with their individual motion pictures, as everything will inevitably be compared to Joss Whedon's self-aware action flick. When Captain American: The First Avenger was initially released, everybody seemed to praise it, yet I found it to be quite weak compared to the debuts of his fellow Avengers, such as Iron Man. This Friday, Captain America will be sliding back onto the silver screen with a sequel that has been getting more buzz than just about any other Marvel film to date. It's definitely much better than the Captain's Phase One debut, but it's...Read the entire review
]]> Muppets Most WantedTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=64092
Thu, 20 Mar 2014 18:23:53 PDTSkip It

Regardless of whether or not you're a Muppets fan, the decision to bring it to the silver screen back in 2011 was a questionable one. Personally, I have never been very much into the Muppets series, but it surely has an audience of all ages that enjoy what these characters have to offer. Well, The Muppets ended up being a pleasant surprise. It works for what it's going for, especially with its fairly strong cast. Once a sequel was green lit, I was hoping that it would at least keep me as entertained as the first film did. Unfortunately, it did exactly the opposite. Muppets Most Wanted is one of those films that will have you consistently checking your watch and sighing. While there are a couple redeeming values here, they're incredibly few and far apart. In fact,...Read the entire review
]]> Need for SpeedTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=64061
Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:32:54 PDTRent It

Even though remakes and adaptations continue to make money, a lot of moviegoers still continue to complain about why they keep getting made. The video game adaptations are another category of films that many audiences whine about, yet they'll still go see them. While the majority of these adaptations aren't given much justice, regardless of how strong the plot is, there are always exceptions to the rule. Need for Speed has been a popular racing video game for many years, but The Fast and the Furious already fulfills the love that car aficionados have for such motion pictures. Well, with that franchise focusing more on heists, this is the perfect opportunity for the next set of films to take a shot at what that series has provided. This film isn't great, but this ...Read the entire review
]]> The Wind RisesTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=63719
Thu, 20 Feb 2014 17:47:49 PSTHighly Recommended

Even if you aren't necessarily a big fan of animated motion pictures, there are always certain exceptions. Pixar is known to be one of the studios that manages to draw audiences of all ages, making it a truly magical experience for all. Well, master Hayao Miyazaki is one of those filmmakers who is also able to defy the unspoken rule that some viewers have about animation. He's been transporting viewers into fantastical worlds with wonderful stories, beautiful animation, and exceptional characters for many years. If you aren't very familiar with his work, then I truly recommend for you to go back and start watching. One of the remarkable elements to his work is that his films will have varied effects on different people. They often have deeper meanings than what one would expec...Read the entire review
]]> FrozenTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=63025
Fri, 07 Feb 2014 09:52:12 PSTRent It

I'm old school Disney. And by 'old school' I mean I like the movies I watched as a kid, not specifically the really old ones which would actually be 'old school', but you understand. Don't get me wrong, I love the classics (Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks), but I'm always going to relate more to 90s Disney, the films that I grew up with. The Little Mermaid (which was technically 1989), Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast; these films will always mean a little extra to me, even if they're not perfect. And so I have a hard time believing that 'new school' Disney can equal the great stories of twenty years ago. I d...Read the entire review

If you've read my blog you know that I have kids and that I review some children's movies from time to time. I'm not the biggest fan of animation, but I do enjoy a Pixar film now & then, and I absolutely love the old Disney films. One of my personal favorites is Mary Poppins, a five-star movie if ever there was one. It possesses a magical quality and a depth that make it more than just a silly musical, elevating it to a place that not many films go, let alone feel-good family flicks. And so when I first saw the trailer for Saving Mr. Banks I was extremely excited. Here was the back story to a beloved classic, the truth beh...Read the entire review

Like finding a lump of coal in one's Christmas stocking, I was terribly disappointed on many levels watching Winnie the Pooh - A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002) a faux 64-minute feature in fact derived from a half-hour 1991 television special with new, direct-to-video material to pad out the running time. The presentation is emblematic of Disney's crass exploitation of its premium assets. The bastardized program is badly and cheaply done, and doesn't follow the spirit of the three original, charming theatrical featurettes of the '60s and 70s. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray is criminally overpriced for what it is, offering an extremely unimpressive video/audio presentation of the material, with "extra features" of absolutely zero interest, even for undemanding small children.

My six-year-old loved The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), the careful compilation film of the three earlier shor...Read the entire review

What started as several superhero action flicks has transformed into something much bigger. Not only do numerous heroes have their own motion pictures, but multiple of them came together for The Avengers. Ever since, their individual ventures often feel like something is missing. In fact, it doesn't make very much sense. If the universe is about to be destroyed, wouldn't the Avengers assemble? Regardless, Marvel (and now Disney) is relentless in its wave of releases. As long as these action flicks are doing well in the box office, they will continue to be made. Fortunately, these superhero ventures are always pretty entertaining, but the standards have been set extremely high after Joss Whedon's epic picture. Thor: The Dark World had the potential to do somethin...Read the entire review
]]> The Lone RangerTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=61293
Thu, 11 Jul 2013 19:44:46 PDTRecommended

I have never seen an episode of The Lone Ranger. Well, I guess I would have been negative thirty when it was on, and that even my mom wasn't alive when it aired. But regardless, I've never even seen a rerun and I don't know anything about the series other than the basic stuff: the Masked Man, Tonto, Ke-mo sah-bee, and Hi-Yo Silver! Away! So I went into the theatre completely unbiased, as far as the classic story is concerned anyway. What I had in my mind, though, was Pirates of the Caribbean. Of course, both movies are products of Disney, both are directed by Gore Verbinski, and both feature Johnny Depp wearing the exact same ou...Read the entire review

The year 2013 has been underwhelming when it comes to animated motion pictures. With films such as Epic, they have primarily been generic stories for children. There hasn't been very much of an incentive for the adults who are interested in animation. Pixar has been known to appeal to all ages, but they have been delivering disappointing pieces of work lately. I found Brave and Cars 2 to be sub-par features that have been done far too many times before. Pixar is trying to return back to some major favorites by making sequels and prequels in order to draw audiences to the theaters. Once trailers started being released for Monsters University, I was worried that they would destroy the beloved Monsters, Inc. with creating this prequel. The origi...Read the entire review
]]> Lilo & Stitch / Lilo & Stitch: Stitch Has A Glitch Two-Movie Collection (Blu-ray)Blu-rayhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=61189
Sun, 09 Jun 2013 06:47:06 PDTHighly Recommended

In 10 Words or LessSweet animated stories about aliens, family and Elvis

The MovieUnlike most of Disney's output at the time of the rise of Pixar, I actually did see Lilo & Stitch when it came out, mostly because it didn't look or feel like the other Disney animated films of the time, which were either firmly holding onto the animated musical concept or were attempting (poorly) to beat Pixar at its own CG game. This story of a rambunctious little blue alien and his rambunctious little Hawaiian pal was just not cut from the same clot...Read the entire review

Marvel Studios has been releasing one superhero hit after another. With summer approaching, the blockbuster features are getting ready to commence. After the insanely successful The Avengers, Marvel was hoping to continue Tony Stark's story after New York's alien invasion. Iron Man 3 has employed writer/director Shane Black, along with writer Drew Pearce. Neither of them have worked on either of the previous entries, which allows for new ideas to be introduced. Some audiences will find this to be exactly what the trilogy needs, since Iron Man 2 split viewers down the middle. While some viewers found it to an excellent superhero flick, others thought it was an absolute mess. I found it to be a letdown, especially compared to the first film in the trilogy. T...Read the entire review
]]> Oz The Great and PowerfulTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=59990
Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:14:41 PSTRent It

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland hit theaters in 2010, and it ultimately won the Oscars for "Best Art Direction" and "Best Costume Design." Unfortunately, the film itself turned out to be an extremely disappointing adventure into Wonderland. The source material was severely misrepresented, leaving Mia Wasikowska as one of the only worthwhile elements of the feature. Disney is bringing another classic story to the big screen by putting Sam Raimi behind the camera for Oz The Great and Powerful. By putting well-known talent in front of and behind the camera, Disney is hoping to do it right this time around. While it's a big improvement over Alice in Wonderland, I can't entirely support this fantastical adventure.

Worthwhile video game adaptations are extremely rare to find. While the fans of the specific title are sure to be in attendance, audiences are known to walk out disappointed with the finished product. Disney's Wreck-It Ralph takes place in the world of gaming, but develops its own plot with characters created exclusively for the film, although there are a bunch of familiar faces. Video game fans are sure to enjoy the assortment of cameos that appear throughout the running time, but this film offers so much more than just references to audiences of all ages and both genders.

Ralph (John C. Reilly) is a video game villain who is outcasted by the other characters around the arcade. He dreams of being in the position of Felix (Jack McBrayer), who is the hero of his ...Read the entire review
]]> The Santa Clause: The Complete 3-Movie Collection (Blu-ray)Blu-rayhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=58672
Sat, 27 Oct 2012 14:22:05 PDTRecommended

Being Santa Claus has to be the best job on the planet. Your primary diet would consist of cookies, milk and hot cocoa. Forget about those stressful commutes in the morning, because all you have to do is wake up and go downstairs to the toy factory. Sure, once a year you have to travel the globe, but that's not exactly a chore now, is it? You'd have flying reindeer at your disposal, man, and you wouldn't have to worry about gas prices or traffic jams. Oh, and let's not forget seriously prolonged life expectancy. Talk about your dream job! And that's really all it is, isn't it? A dream? It's just not fair. There should be term limits on such a sweet gig! There's been one guy hogging the title for, what, 200 years or so? I know he delivers presents to the little kiddies and all, but isn't this borderline criminal? Let someone else take a crack at it already! But hold on, let's not be...Read the entire review

Tim Burton has become a renowned name in the film industry for his early works, such as Edward Scissorhands. This portion of his career successfully conveyed the quirkiness that worked so well in his movies. However, he's been unable to create a worthy motion picture for quite some time. After releasing disasters, such as Alice in Wonderland, it was hard to tell if Burton's creative touch would ever be seen again. Fast forward a couple years, Tim Burton is releasing Frankenweenie, which is based off of his short film by the same name. That magical cinematic experience seen through the early years of Tim Burton's career isn't entirely present in Frankenweenie, although it's the best movie he's released in years.

I didn't catch Arachnophobia (1990) during its theatrical release...but it's not like I wanted to, either. Spiders weren't my favorite thing as a kid, and I incorrectly assumed it was both (A) exceptionally bleak and (B) a straight-up horror movie. It's neither, actually. In hindsight, I shouldn't have expected anything different from Frank Marshall (who makes his directorial debut here), the producer behind such classic cinematic hybrids as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. While Arachnophobia isn...Read the entire review

"The Avengers" brings together many of the heroes from the Marvel universe who have already been featured in their own various films. The pictures have been constructed in an engaging "web" that, in some ways, is tied together in "The Avengers", and will likely be woven in single films (there are already "Iron Man", "Captain America" and "Thor" sequels in the works) whose stories lead back to another "Avengers" film (which is already hinted at in the post-credits scene from this film) somewhere down the line.

"The Avengers" opens with Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's adopted and power-mad brother, breaking into a secret lab and taking the tesseract, a glowing blue cube that has the power to open gateways to other universes. He brainwashes Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Professor Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) so that he can have both a worker and a warrior, and goes about a plan that...Read the entire review

The new 3D conversion that's prompted the re-release of Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo isn't exactly earth-shaking. It nicely immerses the viewer in its undersea world, yes, and spotlights a couple of already eye-catching foreground/background compositions (Dory reading the scuba mask while Marlin is chased behind her; the pair bickering as a whale approaches behind them), but that's about it. All told, there's not much of a reason to see Finding Nemo in 3D. But then again, there's not much of a reason to see any movie in 3D, a technology that mostly serves to throw a couple of more bucks in the pockets of penny-pinching studios while providing moviegoers a gratuitous level of "engagement" whose primary function (for this viewer, anyway) appears to be the expediti...Read the entire review

Take two of the mice from Cinderella, a couple of the alligators from the sequence in Fantasia with alligators in it, the evil villainess from 101 Dalmatians, a few other familiar character types, and you've got The Rescuers, one of the Disney company's more forgettable efforts from that dark period of their (and everyone else's) history: the 1970s. Although American film flourished in that decade, Disney's output did not. I have a soft spot for Robin Hood, but The Aristocats and The Rescuers are not among th...Read the entire review

The idea that Disney might take a powerful step forward into the 21st century with the story of a princess fighting to protect her freedom and independence when a "traditional," outdated marriage ritual is forced on her is an exciting one, and few branches of Disney are as respected as Pixar, whose track record for quality since Toy Story in 1995 is pretty much unparalleled. Sadly, Brave represents a surprising step back for the studio, which plays things safe and predictable throughout one of their most troubled productions.

When Brave was announced, it was going to take the same step on-screen and off: the film would focus on Pixar's first female protagonist, and the picture would be helmed by the studio's first female director, Brenda Chapman. Creative differences led to Pixar replacing her with Mark Andrews in October 2010, after an unspecified amount of the film had been com...Read the entire review